Alisar
Encyclopedia
Alişar is a village in the Yozgat Province
, Turkey
. Near the village is the archaeological site of Alişar Höyük.
n period in the first millennium BC. During the Early and Middle Bronze Age in the third millennium BC Alişar developed into a walled town. Eventually it became the most significant city in the region. Like Kanesh (Kültepe
) to the south it was a center for trade attracting merchants from Assyria
at the beginning of the second millennium BC. The city was then destroyed, and this may have been the conquest by the semi-legendary Hittite
king Anitta
. He is told to have conquered the city of Kussara
which can be idenitified with Alişar Hüyük. The Hittites later made Hattusa
to the north their capital. By the Hittite empire period 1400-1200 BC Alişar was nothing but a small provincial town probably known as Ankuwa. Like most Hittite settlements it was burnt and destroyed at the end of the Late Bronze Age in the twelfth century BC. The Phrygians later occupied the site. In the vicinity of Alişar laid a large Phrygian Iron Age city at Kerkenes
.
The site was first excavated 1927-1932 by the Oriental Institute
, University of Chicago
, headed by H.H. von Otten. Artefacts from the site were brought to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in Ankara
. Excavations restarted in 1992 by Turkish archaeologists through the TAY project.
Yozgat Province
Yozgat Province is a province in central Turkey. Its adjacent provinces are Çorum to the northwest, Kırıkkale to the west, Kırşehir to the southwest, Nevşehir to the south, Kayseri to the southeast, Sivas to the east, Tokat to the northeast, and Amasya to the north...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. Near the village is the archaeological site of Alişar Höyük.
Alişar Höyük
The site was settled from the Chalcolithic period in the fourth millennium BC until the PhrygiaPhrygia
In antiquity, Phrygia was a kingdom in the west central part of Anatolia, in what is now modern-day Turkey. The Phrygians initially lived in the southern Balkans; according to Herodotus, under the name of Bryges , changing it to Phruges after their final migration to Anatolia, via the...
n period in the first millennium BC. During the Early and Middle Bronze Age in the third millennium BC Alişar developed into a walled town. Eventually it became the most significant city in the region. Like Kanesh (Kültepe
Kültepe
Kültepe is a modern village near the ancient city of Kaneš or Kanesh , located in the Kayseri Province of Turkey's Central Anatolia Region...
) to the south it was a center for trade attracting merchants from Assyria
Assyria
Assyria was a Semitic Akkadian kingdom, extant as a nation state from the mid–23rd century BC to 608 BC centred on the Upper Tigris river, in northern Mesopotamia , that came to rule regional empires a number of times through history. It was named for its original capital, the ancient city of Assur...
at the beginning of the second millennium BC. The city was then destroyed, and this may have been the conquest by the semi-legendary Hittite
Hittites
The Hittites were a Bronze Age people of Anatolia.They established a kingdom centered at Hattusa in north-central Anatolia c. the 18th century BC. The Hittite empire reached its height c...
king Anitta
Anitta
Anitta, son of Pithana, was a king of Kussara, a city that has yet to be identified. He is the earliest known ruler to compose a text in the Hittite language.- Biography :...
. He is told to have conquered the city of Kussara
Kussara
Kussara was a city of Bronze Age south-eastern Anatolia. The rulers of Kuššara extended their authority over central Anatolia, conquering Hittite-speaking Kanesh, destroying the future Hittite capital of Hattusa, and subjugating territories as far north as the Black Sea.A man named Pithana is the...
which can be idenitified with Alişar Hüyük. The Hittites later made Hattusa
Hattusa
Hattusa was the capital of the Hittite Empire in the late Bronze Age. It was located near modern Boğazkale, Turkey, within the great loop of the Kızıl River ....
to the north their capital. By the Hittite empire period 1400-1200 BC Alişar was nothing but a small provincial town probably known as Ankuwa. Like most Hittite settlements it was burnt and destroyed at the end of the Late Bronze Age in the twelfth century BC. The Phrygians later occupied the site. In the vicinity of Alişar laid a large Phrygian Iron Age city at Kerkenes
Kerkenes
Kerkenes is the largest pre-Hellenistic site from the Anatolian Plateau – 7 km of strong stone defenses, pierced by seven gates, that enclose 2.5 km²...
.
The site was first excavated 1927-1932 by the Oriental Institute
Oriental Institute, Chicago
The Oriental Institute , established in 1919, is the University of Chicago's archeology museum and research center for ancient Near Eastern studies.- History and purpose:James Henry Breasted built up the collection of the Haskell Oriental Museum...
, University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, headed by H.H. von Otten. Artefacts from the site were brought to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in Ankara
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
. Excavations restarted in 1992 by Turkish archaeologists through the TAY project.